Unbound
by n0t0k
Summary: The gods may play their games and tricks. They may cast their die and fold their cards. They may craft their dungeons and move their pawns. In the end, what the gods do does not matter to the Goblin Slayer. For he is unbound by destiny.


The Goblin Slayer was never meant to survive the goblin attack on his villages.

That is not to say he was _meant_ to die, mind you. Just that he was not meant for anything. He had no great arching destiny. He had no planned fate.

He was a simple village boy, in a village like hundreds more.

It happened like this:

The gods who ruled over the land chose champions for their next great campaign. Great adventures were planned for these champions who would wield one of a kind divine weapons and conquer a great evil of despicable plot.

But first these chosen champions had to become strong. And that required smaller quests filled with mindless mobs of lesser power.

Thus, paths were set for each of the gods champions that they might become mighty legends of their time.

One such path's beginnings was crafted so that one chosen champion would sharpen their skill against the blood of goblins. But of course, for the chosen champion to defeat goblins- a quest had to be made. And for a quest to be made, goblins had to be a problem.

Thus the die were rolled. The starting line was drawn and encampment of goblins were set up in the forest near villages. The die were cast again and the goblins flourished. Whispered words of fate drifted upon the winds and the goblin nests banded together under a Shaman goblin. Next the call was made and the goblins raided the villages nearby.

The terrible destruction and suffering which followed might have been ignored and forgotten accept that one of the villages held a wealthy merchant. The merchant survived, but the rest of his prospects not yet burned and pillaged were in danger of further goblin attacks.

Thus a quest was made. The future champion took up the quest.

All went according to plan. The chosen champion cut down many goblins and dispersed the nests. An important lesson was learned against fighting spell casters which served to strengthen the champion's defense against magic.

Years later when the gods chosen champions came together to defeat a mighty evil within the land, this lesson helped one of the champions triumph in the final battle.

Song were sung. The champions became legends. All was done as had been planned. The gods clapped at their own fun game, then set about to create the next thrilling apocalyptic event to set off another great campaign.

And what happened to those goblins who had been set up to create this minor quest, then dispersed into the wilds? What happened to those few survivors from the pillaged villages?

Nothing. At least, nothing which the gods cared about. The goblins, pillaged towns, and merchant had served their purpose- so no more thought was given them.

The goblins which survived set up little nest throughout the countryside and continued to follow their vile nature.

And the villages? Those burned and desolate places where once life thrived?

Some survivors moved on, as their world demanded they must. They rebuilt and continued live. They grew and married and had children. They farmed, kept stock, crafted, and sewed. A few even found happiness in their small, unimportant lives.

Some, however, were unable to move on. So life moved on without them and they died in their homes, by their own hands. Forgotten and unnamed.

And one… one became the Goblin Slayer.

No fate was crafted for him by the gods. No greater destiny dictated his path.

No. Everything the Goblin Slayer did, he did alone. Under his own might and will. With his own determination and drive.

No words were whispered upon the wind. No die was cast upon his path. No quest orchestrated for his gain.

The Goblin Slayer suffered and struggled and fought and defeated one goblin after another. All without the gods notice.

And without their notice, he began to become his own legend.  
Neigh, it was not until a young priestess joined in the Goblin Slayer's self appointed mission that even one of the gods became aware of this mortal and his self-made destiny.

Like the Goblin Slayer, the Priestess was not _meant_ for anything.

Not yet at least. Not without testing things out first.

It happened like this:

One game had ended and another was going to begin. In preparation for the future campaign one goddess, called Illusion by her fellow deities, began searching for new pawns to use in this next great catastrophic event. Thinking she had found a few potential candidates, the goddess wished to guide a band of new adventurers toward a nest of goblins with the intent to test their mettle.

Unfortunately a few more pieces had to be set up before the game could begin.

There were only three adventurers which Illusion was interested in. The goblin quest demanded four.

Shuffling her deck and placing cards, the goddess guided and urged a young Priestess to become an adventurer. It was not ideal. The little Priestess was more easily frightened than a rabbit. But she was the only young healer within the small town. Finding anyone else would take much more of an effort, something the goddess was not willing to exert when she was not even sure of keeping these new pawns.

One impromptu meeting of characters later and the game was ready to begin.

The die was cast, the pieces were moved forward.

It ended in disaster.

Disappointed with how easily defeated these adventurers turned out to be, Illusion tossed the pawns aside. The two remaining survivors were of no more use to the goddess, not with that pathetic performance.

Later, Illusion would regret judging the situation so quickly.

As one goddess turned away, another focused in.

The Earth~Mother was not as powerful as the other gods. In fact, she was not even a proper god like Illusion and Truth. Earth~Mother was in fact a deity, holding power above humans, yet still under the whims of the gods.

If you need a more earthly explanation, then think of gods as masters, deities as servants, and mortals as chess pieces.

If that explanation proves too insulting toward you, then pretend you never read it.

As the gods had their fun with campaigns, the deities played their own games. To win a gods favour was to win more power. To gain this favour, deities offered up those mortals which were theirs either through worship or ancestry to become pawns in the gods next game. A successful pawn that entertained the gods greatly was sure to gain the deity much power and gift. On the other hand, a poor pawn could cause a deity to fall out of grace with the gods.

Here is the crux of the matter for Earth~Mother. Her children rarely become adventurers. And of those who did, none were ever very strong. Out of the few who were strong adventurers, even less were chosen to become the gods champions.

And out of those who had become the gods pawns (which could be numbered on one hand) none had ever survived very long or done anything of great note during the games.

Thus the Earth~Mother was forgotten by the other gods as they rolled their die and moved their pawns. Why would they think of such a weak deity like Earth~Mother? Her followers were so unimportant that the deity had not once gained any favour.

Nevertheless, Earth~Mother continued to do her duty; gifting miracles to her children when they asked. All the while she secretly hoped that the adventurers her children healed within her temples and protected within the dungeons would curry some favour for her from the other powerful gods.

When one of the goddesses guided one of her children to become an adventurer, the Earth~Mother took no notice. The deity was no fool. She knew the goddess Illusion was not truly looking at her Priestess. Illusion was more focused on the charming Warrior, learned Wizard, and brave Fighter. The Priestess had been an afterthought.

When the Priestess desperately called upon the Earth~Mother for a miracle within the bowels of a goblin cave, the Earth~Mother gave her blessing knowing it was a loss cause. Her dear Priestess was never meant to be an adventurer. The mortal girl was too soft, too gentle, and too kind. No amount of godly interfering would change that.

Perhaps in the beginning days the deity would have been saddened over her child's coming death. But Earth~Mother had been around too long and knew too much. It was not uncommon for her children to die such common deaths. This Priestess was not the first and would not be the last.

Then the pesky goddess who had started this whole mess turned away before the game had even finished. Gaze no longer upon the soon to be dead (and already dead) adventurers, Illusion missed the coming of the Goblin Slayer.

Earth~Mother did not.

The Goblin Slayer saved the Priestess. The Goblin Slayer _changed_ the Priestess.

When Priestess emerged from the dark depths and into the light of day, she was different.

The next day, the following week, the coming months Earth~Mother watched the young Priestess continue to follow this Goblin Slayer. An adventurer of champion worth, yet no god ruled over him. A legend in the making, yet no divine hand guided his path.

Everything this Goblin Slayer was, was his own.

And everything the Earth~Mother's child did beside him became her own strength too. Together they suffered and struggled and fought and defeated goblin after goblin. Together he slayed and she defended.

The Earth~Mother watched the unbound mortal champion accomplish what what the goddess in all her power and tricks could not do.

He transformed the Priestess into a true adventurer.

The Earth~Mother felt triumph. Finally, here was a child of hers which could become a champion fit for the gods many games.

Alas, the most recent game of the gods had ended. But Earth~Mother did not suffer disappointment much. For she knew the gods would quickly tire and thirst for a new game. And when they began setting up for their next campaign, she would offer up her Priestess as a strong champion.

And perhaps, if she played her cards right, the Goblin Slayer would also become her champion.

But as the Earth~Mother cupped the winds to her lips to whisper messages upon them… she hesitated.

The Earth~Mother remembered her past children she had sent off to the games. She remembered how all their paths had ended in suffering. She remembered how nothing ever came of her chosen champions.

She remembered the laughing of the gods as she lost yet another child early in their game. As her labourers came to nothing. As she slowly fell to the wayside and her children were forgotten. Turned to mere fodder, or else meant for nothing.

The Earth~Mother was not a powerful goddess. She was not even a powerful deity. The Earth~Mother knew in her heart that to turn the Priestess and Goblin Slayer into pawns of the gods would not win her favour. Rather, they would be destroyed and she would lose.

The gods influence was greater. Their cards were better. Their die were rigged.

Earth~Mother withdrew her hand.

No, she did more than that. The deity used her own strength to grace the two mortals with a miracle of protection. Not protection against the swords of villainy. Not protection against the arrows of enemies. Not protection against the magic of evil.

But protection against the sight of the gods.

The Earth~Mother was not a powerful deity. Her miracle would not hide them forever, especially if the Goblin Slayer and her Priestess continued to follow their self chosen path. But it would conceal them long enough that by the time the other gods did finally see them, the two mortals might be strong enough to defy the gods influence.

Thus, the Goblin Slayer continued to slay goblins. The Priestess followed. Others joined. A High Elf Archer. A Dwarf Shaman. A Lizard Priest.

The Goblin Slayer and his party became renowned. Their mission became legendary. Their destinies were immortalised.

Eventually, the gods did notice.

But by then it was too late. The gods could not change the path of the Goblin Slayer and his party.

Though they tried.

But the die the gods cast against the Goblin Slayer and his party held no weight. The cards they played fell away. The winds which carried the gods messages were ignored. The paths the gods set out for them were passed by. The destiny the gods wove for them came to nothing.

The gods held no sway over the Goblin Slayer, the Priestess, the High Elf Archer, the Dwarf Shaman, and the Lizard Priest.

The Goblin Slayer was never _meant_ for anything. And such it remained. The Goblin Slayer and those who followed him were heroes unbound by destiny. A legend free from fate. A champion all his own.


End file.
